Once upon
by GreenfinchSong
Summary: A different approach to how Jack came to be. Warnings: au characters, character death. Rated T for safety.


**Please note:** This is a small story that has been floating in my head for years (ever since Rise of the Guardians came out). I do not own any of these characters or their universes. This story is heavily inspired be the Rise of the Guardians and The Snow Queen fairy tale universes (Again I own NONE of these), and several Enchanted Moura fairy tales from the West of the Iberian Peninsula folklore, I read as a child (once more, I do NOT own these either).  
This is the first try I have given to fanfic writing, I have no beta for this and English is not my first language, therefor, I would not be surprised about any grammar mistakes or misspellings. Some constructive feedback would be nice, or if you liked it and have nothing to say just leave me a :) . If you intend to just be malicious: please don't. Just leave and ignore the fact that this text exists.

Once upon a time there was a queen, a beautiful snow like Queen, as cold and beautiful as a frozen rose. This, our, Queen ruled with grace and fairness but only the winds were her friends for only they knew she existed. It was lonely in her frozen palace up above in the mountains where no human, no mortal, would dare reach and no Immortal would climb for they did not know of her. That was the reason for her sadness.  
After many years lonely in the palace a human settlement established itself at the base of her mountain. Curiosity ate at her mind until she disguised herself in a cape and heavy peasant clothes to keep the chill of her skin concealed from the humans, and down the mountain she went to see the growing settlement. Yet, she kept herself at distance of the humans. She was not snob, no she wanted their company! But she was too cold and her touch would freeze burn all that lived.  
As the settlement grew the Queen found it easier to mingle and hide among the humans, yet she was still lonely. She overlooked the village for many generations, she saw the people who laughed and loved, cried and grieved. She grew to love the small village and every one in it, as short as their lives were.  
One evening, while the humans sang and danced around the fire in the main square, she sat by the dock looking over the sea. The sea which she had traveled so many times, riding her beautiful carriage made of wings, a young man sat by her side and asked "Why are you so sad? You are beautiful. Such beauty should only know happiness." the Queen answered "I am alone." To which he retorted "No! I am here! I will be your friend.". They spoke through the night and fell in love, by morning he asked her to marry him, but she could not. Not yet, for she knew her touch would kill him, freezing the blood in his veins.  
The queen went back to her palace in the mountains. Her frozen lonely home where she thought about her predicament for long and lonely months until an idea came to her. She called upon the south wind and said "My friend, you are the warmest of all the winds. Heat my body and cover my white hair in your golden dust so I can be more human like, so that my skin will not burn the one I love." the friendly South Wind came to her and did as she asked solving her predicament.  
Upon this happening she went down the mountain, happiness in her step as she sang in glee, as did the citizens of the village, for the next years the winters were mild and allowed for longer summers. She joined the man she loved and together they had a child, a beautiful child a little cold to the touch but human and beautiful. The Queen eventually forgot what she was, she believed herself to be human, to always had been human, for she had a human child with a human man that she loved and loved her back. They lived happily and the child grew happy, healthy and slightly cool to the touch.  
One day her beloved husband kissed her and hugged his child to him saying " My beloved wife my beloved child, I have been called to war but fear not, I will be back whole and safe to hold you again, at once." He went to war but he did not do as promised, he did not come back safe, he came back cold in a box, carried by his fellow soldiers. And that just broke the Queen's heart. The Queen held her child as they weep for their lost husband and father. A sudden thought sailed through her mind something she had forgotten "It hurts so. I have only my child now. What will happen to my child if I pass? If? No, when… but I AM the Queen. I will rule for eternity. It will be my child who will pass and it will be I who will be alone. It will be my child's children who will see their parents perish… I have seen this so many times…" It occurred to her that this was the looping cycle that ruled all human live. Her husband had been taken away from her to a place she could not reach. But as the powerful Queen she could travel the realm and reach her husband if only for a few hours a year.  
Thus she shed her wind made warmth and, along with her treasured child started the journey to her palace up above in the mountains where no human, no mortal, would dare reach. The child soon became cold and suffered from it, caught between a mortality and eternity.  
During the journey the child asked "Mother could you have saved father?" the Queen whispered "Had I remembered my nature, I could have.", "Mother, can I keep other children from this grief that harries me?", again the Queen whispered "No.", "Can you?", "Yes, but not all. I am powerful but nonetheless the world is large." Then, resolute, the child demands "I am trapped in between. Lend me power so that I can guard the world along your side." The Queen nodded and proceeded on their way as she pondered on this dilemma. The Queen and mother decided "None shall take my child.".  
So when they reached a stunning lake surrounded by snow covered trees, its surface peaceful and glassy like a mirror, she froze at the sight, a solution had just presented itself. "Cherished Child of Mine do you see the mirror at the center of the lake? If you gaze long enough you will see yourself as beautiful as I am. You will see your own sorrow and other's. You will leave this life, but live another." so the child went to the center of the lake where the ice was at its finest yet it did not break, the child did not fall through, just stood gazing through the ice mirror. The queen saw the child's soul leave its body and ordered the winds to take hold of it. The child soul was beautiful and upon returning to its owner the child, too, become as graceful with her powers as the queen. "Child of mine," said the queen "I love you, I made you immortal so can be like me, but you will not be alone, as I was, you will have me, you will have the winds to keep you company. As you wished, I will trust you a mission, the most important mission I can give you, come back to me once a year and keep me company but the rest of the year travel the world along with the winds and keep the children safe from harm in winter. You must keep the children away from the dark corners, keep the children away from the thin ice of frozen lakes, and keep the children close to their parents. Be vigilant of their play time but allow them to have fun, allow them to run and be merry as your father and I allowed you. See to them for as long as their believe allows. Guard their joy."  
For the next few years the small village, believed the mother and child to have perished in, that year's, unforgiving winter. Years later a legend began to spread: a weeping mother lived on the very top of the mountain safeguarding all parents with small children in the unkindest of winters, and her child guarded the small children like itself under her watchful eye. Later the legend morphed: mother and child were no longer family but horrible adversary's whose battles caused harsh winters. And so on, until centuries later. The new old myth stabilized in its closest to truth form: The Snow Queen, ruler of winters, seats upon a throne in an ice crystal covered palace leaving it only to spread winter among the land and that is when the Queen's child, Jack Frost, comes out to play guarding children's fun, bringing joy and snow days.  
This is not the whole truth but its close enough for children and parents all around the world.


End file.
